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(No Model.)

E. C. PHILLIPS.

GRIP FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

At test,

ivrrnn STATES nrnnr Orricn.

EIAVOOD C. PHILLIPS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE PHILLIPS l*I(?(:)NO)lI(L\Ii CABLE GRIP CONSTIRUCTION COMPANY, OF (llIQ-XGO, ILLI- NOIS.

GRIP FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,075, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed Se tember 24, 1888. Serial No. 286,289. (No model.)

so all zrhrmz, it 12m 1 concern:

Be it known that I, Enwoon C=. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. I Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented 5 certain newand useful Improvements in Grips iorCable Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains 1e to make and use the same.

The chief object of this invention is to proi v ide a grip which shall seize the cable securely from three different points at once with coni verging pressure, all three of the gripping de I5 vices being put into or out of action by a single motion.

Another object is to make the guiding, sup porting, and cable-gripping devices bot-h Sllllple and strong, as well as thoroughly efficient.

To this end my invention consists, principally, in the combination of two pivoted jaws with a reciprocating plunger which closes and opens the said jaws by contact therewith, these three devices operating simultaneously i to seize the cable between them from three different points, substantially as set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the devices enlbodying my invention, the proximate parts of the j'llittfOl'lll of a street-car being shown in vertical cross-section. Fig. i represents a deiail perspective view of the lower part of the plunger aforesaid. Fig. 3 represents a detail perspective view of one of the pivoted jaws. Fig. 4. represents an end elevation of the pivoted jaws, the plunger, and the casing to which said jaws are attached, said plunger and jaws being in position for gripping and the cable being shown in section between them. Fig. i 5 represents a-siinilar view, the plunger being i wit-lnlrawn out of sight and the jaws open. lsig. U represents a vertical transverse section through Fig. i. Fig. '7 represents a similar section through Fig. 5. Fig. 8 represents a horizontal section on the line 0 9 of Fig. l.

A designates the wood-work of a car-platlorni floor, having a bed of channel-iron atthe cable.

inched thereto. \Vithin this bed are placed the flat parallel plates 0, which form termi- 5o nal extensions of guide-straps C. A guideframe, D, is located between said straps and riveted thereto, said frame being enlarged above said straps and given the form of a large flat loop having a toothed rack, d, on its top. A hand-lever, E, pivoted to this guideframe, carries a pawl, e, for engaging said rack to lock the said lever in the position. to which it may be moved. Said pawl engages by gravity and is disengaged at will by a small thumb.- lever, E, pivoted to the upper part of said hand-lever, the thumb-lever and pawl being connected to each other by a link, c.

F designates a vertically-reciprocating plun ger, connected to the short inclined lower arm,

E, of said hand-lever by a link, G. The said 6 5 plunger fills the space between the guidestraps aforesaid and between the straight parallel lower bars, I), of said guide-frame D. Two additional guide-straps, ll, constituting a pair similar to C, are riveted to these bars D near the lower ends of the latter. The lower end of the plunger is bifurcated, forming two rounded forks, F, with a curved recess, f, between them, this recess being adapted to fit the top of a cable. This lower end of the plunger enters a fixed casing, I, which is enlarged laterally to leave space for the action of said plunger and of jaws J, which are pivoted on pintles j, which pass through knuckles of said casing and knuckles j of said jaws. Each of these jaws is provided with in warc'lly-ii'iclined shoulders J, having a curved surface, I for fitting on A broad plate, J curves upward and inward behind each of said shoulders. The rounded ends of the forks oli' plunger F move upward and downward in the spaces between said plates and shoulders. By their action on the plates in ascending they tilt back the jaws J, so as to open the grip, as

l shown in Figs. 5 and 7, and by their action on the rear faces of said shoulders in descending they cause the inwardly-inclined shoulders J, arranged in pairs, as shown, to grip the cable from two points obliquely be low and on opposite sides of it. At the same time the intermediate part of the lower end of the plunger F, recessed atf, stated, tits on the uppcrhalt of the cable, coin ileting the grip. The rack and pawl, already desoribml, roe

look the plunger and jaws in either the gripping or open position, as desired. The three gripping d cvices hold the cable very securely, but are easily released by grasping the thumblever and hand-lever and making a single backward motion of the latter on its pivot.

The downwardlyextending bars 1) of guide-frame 1) have parallel plates K ar ranged to fit against their outer edges, so that said plates may be movable laterally, turning pivotally on the edges of bars D in the open space shown in Fig. 8. The straps (I II are correspondingly flared at the parts inclosing said plates to allow such motion. To insure an oblique bracing action by said plates, the wall at the end of each space thus formed is curved from side to side and arranged at such distance from the nearer bar, D, that the intervening plate or wing, K, will lit against said bar and said wall. whats ever its position. The bracing action thus afforded frame D against a twisting strain as the hand-lever is pulled down allows me to make said frame thinner than would otherwise be practicable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In a cable-gripping device, the combination of a pair of pivoted jaws with a verticallyreciprocating plunger, the said jaws being actuated by said plunger, and these three devices combining to grip the cable, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a pair of pivoted jaws, a reciprocating plunger bifurcated at its lower end and operating between them,e'acl1 jaw being provided with a should er arranged to be struck by one of said bifurcations as the plunger descends, and with a curved plate or raised part arranged to be struck on the reverse motion for opening said ,jaws, substanti ally as set forth.

3. In combination with a pair of pivoted jaws, each provided with an inwardly-inclined shoulder and raised plate, as described, a plunger having rounded bifurcations arranged to strike against said plates or said shoulders, according to the upward or downward motion of said plunger, the latter being also recessed between said bifurcations to fit said cable, substantially as set forth.

4. A vertically-movable plunger and jaws operated thereby for gripping a cable, in combination with a lever, pawl, and rack for moving said plunger into either the gripping or releasing position and locking it there, a frame to which said lever is pivoted, and plates in contact with the outer edges of said frame and movable angularly to'brace the latter, substantially as set forth;

5. Incombination with a fixed guide-frame and a lever pivoted thereto, angularly-movable bracing-wings fitted against the edges of said frame, metallic straps which inclose said frame and wings, and are provided with flaring recesses having end walls arranged to fit said wings in any position of the latter, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with a fixed guide-frame and a lever pivoted thereto, a plunger working up and down in said frame, a conn eetion between said lever and said plunger, pivoted grippingjaws opened and closed by said plunger, and a casing which provides bearings for the jaws and incloses them and the lower end of said plunger, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELIVOOD C. PHILLIPS.

lVitnesses:

UHAs. KUNZ, ALBERT GEns'r. 

